Six Nations stats: Surprising facts and figures from first two rounds

Scotland the great entertainers, Wales the best passers, and Adam Jones struggling at scrum time...

Scotland the great entertainers, Wales the best passers, and Adam Jones struggling at scrum time... the Six Nations statistics tell some surprising tales.

In an era when stats are king on the international stage, we’ve got the official facts and figures from the first two rounds of the 2013 event.

Let us begin with the set-piece – an area where Wales have come up surprisingly short.

Jones’ absence from the autumn whitewash was held up as a key factor behind the disappointment, but the return of the British Lion, dubbed by many as the best tighthead in the world, has not brought the scrum dominance Wales targeted prior to the tournament.

Indeed, forwards coach Robin McBryde has told his pack they must do better than a 75% success rate on their own ball, refusing to blame mitigating factors such as the appalling Stade de France pitch and the refereeing lottery that had most fans scratching their heads with each mound of collapsed bodies.

Crucially, Jones is the tournament’s biggest villain so far in terms of penalties conceded – six in all, with four of those coming directly from those scrum struggles in Paris. It is an area Rob Howley’s men must improve on if hopes of defending their title are to be realised.

Some will find Wales’ position at the top of the passing charts the most remarkable stat of all, particularly given the fumbling efforts of the opening 40 minutes against Ireland.

But the figures don’t lie – Wales have made 356 passes in two matches with a 98% completion rate – and there are a few reasons why.

While it could be argued Wales’ ultimately fruitless second-half comeback bid against the Irish was somewhat irrelevant given the calamities that had come before, there can be no doubt Wales’ display in those final 40 minutes was as fluid and dynamic as any produced in the competition.

As the passes went to hand, the line breaks (five), the metres gained (512) and the tries (three) soon followed, even if the result did not.

Paris, on the other hand, was all about the result – a target achieved my minimising mistakes and maximising the accuracy.

The passes were simple and short, the game-plan based on a tight battle round the fringes, kicking for territory and defending for your lives.

The stats are there for people to take from them what they wish, and there’s no doubt which key tables Shaun Edwards will have framed on his mantlepiece this week.

Despite Wales’ defensive guru being snubbed for Lions duty this summer, and despite some suggestions the effectiveness of his blitz defence methods may be diminishing, Wales and Ireland have missed fewer tackles than anyone else (25), while the Welsh tackle success rate of 86% is only bettered by the Irish (87%).

Gallery: The Six Nations' top tacklers. Click 'show caption for details

Wales new boy Andrew Coombs takes the honour of chief Welsh tackler, a stat that exemplifies his seamless transition to the international arena, while it is also interesting to note rivals Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric are among only a handful of players who have not fallen off a single tackle.

Outside-half Dan Biggar and lock Ian Evans are two who might have taken an ear-bashing from Edwards in recent days, though, as both find themselves near the top of the ranking no player wants to be a part of, with four missed tackles apiece

Coombs, meanwhile, is also the tournament’s third best ball carrier. That particular list is headed by Wales’ go-to man Toby Faletau, whose 29 carries even usurps the efforts of France’s stampeding rhinoceros Louis Picamoles.

Scotland are the team who have struggled most in the defensive department, missing a very poor 41 tackles.

That failure, though, lies in stark contrast to their new-found clinical attacking edge under Scott Johnson.

They sit top of the try chart with six from two matches, while their impressive total of 11 line breaks appears very un- Scottish given the turgid nature of what they have produced in recent years on the international scene.

This time, of course, they have a certain Stuart Hogg – the tournament’s top try scorer – with two and a Lions dark horse who has made the most yards (201) with his surging runs and scything angles.

With defence reigning supreme in the modern game, the ability to win the battle of the breakdown and secure turnover ball is key to creating try-scoring opportunities, and this is where Scotland have stood out from the crowd.

Direct interceptions against the Italians have, of course, helped, but their figure of 10 turnovers in two matches is three more than any of their rivals, and four more than Wales.

France’s solitary turnover in 160 minutes of Six Nations action goes someway to explaining why they have looked so abject in attack.

One thing is for sure, this year’s Six Nations has been a pretty even affair thus far, something the statistics seem to support when analysing the key areas of battle.

The top tackler is Irish (Healy), the top carrier is Welsh (Faletau), the top try scorer Scottish (Hogg), the leading points machine is English (Owen Farrell), while the Italians have made the most metres with ball in hand.

While England may be in pole position to claim the title, with three rounds to go, there is still all to play for.

As always, when the tackles have been made, the scrums won and the tries scored, there is only one statistic that will really matter.

Next page: The full stats

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